Antivirus & Malware Protection

Contents

1. 01WelcomeWhat these tools do, how many we grade and what to know before choosing
2. 02Our top threeThe three we'd look at first, and who each one suits
3. 03What they costWhat paid plans start at, the best buy at each budget and the free plans
4. 04The gradesThe highest graded, and how the whole category does on each subject
5. 05Keep or make?Which are worth paying for, and which you could make yourself
6. 06Every toolAll of them, best graded first, with what each costs
7. 07Quick answersThe questions people ask when choosing, each answered in a line or two
8. 08About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it

ToolGPA put this guide together from each tool’s own pages, their app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on the Antivirus & Malware Protection page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 17, 2026.

Scan your computer and phone for malware, and stop bad downloads and sites before they do damage.

Before you choose, here are 7 things to know about antivirus apps, worked out from every one we grade.

1. 1

   We grade 15 antivirus apps

   8 of them are free or have a free plan, and 5 more let you try before paying. Everything in this guide comes from their own pages and our grades.

2. 2

   Paid plans start at $4.17 a month in the middle

   From $1.08 (ESET) to $8.25 (TotalAV), going by what each one's paid plans start at.

3. 3

   Best value: Norton 360 and ESET

   Nothing on our chart scores higher than these without costing more.

4. 4

   13 of 15 have iPhone and Android apps

   0 run in a web browser and 15 have a Windows app. Check the one you need before you fall for anything.

5. 5

   The middle GPA is 2.6

   1 score 3.0 or higher. The highest is Avast, at 3.0.

6. 6

   Best free option: Avast

   Avast has the highest GPA of the free ones, 3.0. Free antivirus for PC, Mac and phones, with paid Premium and Ultimate.

7. 7

   15 worth keeping, 0 you could make

   By our keep-or-make rules, 15 do something you couldn't reasonably build yourself, 0 are simple enough to make with an AI app builder, and 0 are a close call.

Part 02 · Top three

Our top three

The three we'd look at first, and who each one suits

The three antivirus apps we'd look at first. First place suits the most people; second and third are the best picks for the people it leaves out. Each has an Insider's Guide of its own.

1. 1st

   

   3.0GPA

   Avast

   Free plan

   For: Most people, and anyone who wants to pay nothing

   Avast Free Antivirus gives a Windows PC real-time file, behavior and web shields, ransomware protection, a firewall and network scans, and there are free Avast apps for Mac, Android and iPhone. Premium Security adds Bank Mode, Email Guard, a sandbox and webcam protection, for one device or up to 10. Know the limits: Avast's website refused automated reads when this listing was checked, so its paid prices are not listed here; check avast.com before buying. The VPN and Cleanup Premium cost extra unless you buy Ultimate, and some trials ask for a payment method.

   The Avast Insider’s Guide

2. 2nd

   

   2.8GPA

   Bitdefender

   Free plan · from $49.99/yr

   For: Households that want a paid suite across every device

   Bitdefender Antivirus Free gives a Windows PC real-time malware and ransomware protection with no time limit, and paid plans cover Windows, Mac, Android and iPhone. Total Security is $59.99 the first year for 5 devices, then $109.99, with a password manager, and refunds run for 30 days after a purchase or a renewal. Its iPhone and iPad app averages 4.7 from about 38,000 ratings. It is second because the free version runs on Windows only and needs an account, and the VPN stops at 200 MB a day below Premium Security.

   The Bitdefender Insider’s Guide

3. 3rd

   

   2.8GPA

   Norton 360

   Free trial · from $84.99/yr

   For: Households that want a VPN and backup in one plan

   Norton 360 Deluxe covers 5 devices on Windows, Mac, Android and iPhone with real-time protection, a VPN for every device, a password manager, cloud backup for Windows PCs and parental controls. Norton's US order page shows it from $39.99 for the first year, then $104.99 a year. Its iPhone and iPad app averages 4.7 from about 183,000 ratings. It is third because there is no free version, only a 30-day trial, and the backup and Norton Family parental controls do not work on a Mac.

   The Norton 360 Insider’s Guide

Going by our grades, Norton 360 and ESET give the most for the money among antivirus apps: no tool on this chart scores higher without costing more.

Paid plans start at a middle price of $4.17 a month across the 11 that charge, from $1.08 (ESET) to $8.25 (TotalAV).

4 of the 11 score above the category's average while starting at or below its middle price. 2 cost more than the middle price and score below the average.

Every tool gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. Here are the 12 highest graded antivirus apps, then how the whole category does on each subject.

Tool	Value	Free	Features	Ease	Platforms	GPA
Avast	C	A	B	B	B	3.0
AVG	C	B	B	B	B	2.8
Bitdefender	C	B	B	B	B	2.8
McAfee	C	C	B	A	B	2.8
Norton 360	C	C	B	A	B	2.8
ESET	C	C	B	B	B	2.6
Trend Micro	C	C	B	B	B	2.6
Webroot	C	C	B	B	B	2.6
Avira	C	B	C	C	B	2.4
F-Secure	C	C	B	C	B	2.4
Sophos Home	C	C	C	B	B	2.4
Kaspersky	D	D	B	B	B	2.2

Some software does something you couldn’t reasonably build yourself. Some is simple enough that an AI app builder could make the core of it in an afternoon. Here’s where antivirus apps land, by the same rules for every tool.

• 15

  Keep it

  It does something you could not reasonably make for yourself, or it costs nothing.

• 0

  Your call

  You could make the core of it, and you would give something up.

• 0

  You could make this

  What it does is the kind of thing an AI app builder makes well, and it charges every month.

Every antivirus app we grade, with its GPA and what it costs. Each one has a page of its own on toolgpa.com, with its Insider’s Guide.

1. 1AvastFree plan3.0
2. 2AVGFree plan2.8
3. 3BitdefenderFree plan · from $49.99/yr2.8
4. 4McAfeeFree plan2.8
5. 5Norton 360Free trial · from $84.99/yr2.8
6. 6ESETFree trial · from $12.99/yr2.6
7. 7Trend MicroFree plan · from $29.95/yr2.6
8. 8WebrootFree trial · from $34.99/yr2.6
9. 9AviraFree plan2.4
10. 10F-SecureFree plan · from $49.99/yr2.4
11. 11Sophos HomeFree trial · from $59.99/yr2.4
12. 12KasperskyFree trial · from $64.99/yr2.2
13. 13MalwarebytesFree plan · from $59.99/yr2.2
14. 14IntegoFrom $39.99/yr2.0
15. 15TotalAVFrom $99/yr2.0

ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.

ToolGPA is free to read. It may earn a commission from affiliate links and it works with sponsors, but anything paid for is labelled and no one can pay for a grade. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.

• 1,880

  tools graded

• 47

  categories

• 426

  price changes on record

• 579

  apps priced in 12 countries